Caitlin’s post on “I’m Amazing Because..” I think we should ALL do this little activity. I got teary eyed reading it because I know I can be too hard on myself at times too. We are all amazing and should recognize it!

4 Instagram Photos

This past weekend, I had my first dining experience at the Whole Foods salad and hot bar. I went for lunch with Lee and really liked it. A lot of variety and all quite delicious!

For all you parents out there with kids ages 3-7, you have got to check out the website Reading Eggs. I stumbled across it about a month ago and signed Makenzie up. It’s a site full of letter/reading games and activities that kids LOVE. Thought I would share!

Got my Muscle Milk protein to try. Plan on having some post workout today. Will share my reviews in a couple weeks, as well as the tough new circuit workouts I get to try.

New Bible Study I just started. Always love how Beth Moore gets me so excited about God! He IS pretty awesome after all. He sure changed my life, attitudes, strength – and that’s all I need to know to follow Him forever now.

3 Things Making Me Smile This Week

My momma! She came over to watch the kids for a doctor appointment I had, then stayed for dinner. I love love love spending time with my mom. Update on her: She still has Multiple Sclerosis relapses more often than we would like (usually 1 every 6-8 weeks), but she is still as positive and joyful as ever. I want to be her when I grow up.

Helping pack over 200 meals for kids in need with our small group at church. I may have gotten a lot of stares when buying over 20 loaves of bread and had to help bag a lot of sandwiches, but so worth it.

How many of you tried out the Burpee Blaster workout and loved it. I get joy out of your (workout) pain. As long as you get joy too. Which it sounds like those who did the workout did. Woo!

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ONLY 1 WEEK LEFT to register for Best Body Bootcamp round 2!! Don’t miss out on the fun with the *thisclose* to 250 others currently signed up!

I randomly stumbled across this book while at the library and thought “Why not?”. I assumed it would be one of those books you get 20 pages into and decide not to waste your time reading. It wasn’t a masterpiece, by any means, but it was pretty entertaining. A perfect summer read by the pool or lazing in the AC like me.

Your Turn – What made you smile this week? Have you eaten at the Whole Foods bars before? I can’t be the only “healthy living blogger” that hasn’t for the longest time!

The website for Makenzie reminds me of all the computer games my brothers and I played growing up! We had a TON and they were all math or reading oriented, and yet we loved them! And I love WF hot bar, it’s become a new tradition of mine to treat myself to it once a week!

I am in love with the salad bar at Whole Foods. For me, a trip to Whole Foods is always a special out-of-the-way trip to grab a couple things that my normal grocery store doesn’t carry. But I always try to schedule a trip near lunch or dinner so I have an excuse to grab a salad.

Pat Summit’s perserverance and spirit at the ESPY awards tribute made me smile this week. I think she’s awesome!

I am actually meeting my mom at WF’s today for lunch and I am so excited!! I don’t go often because WF’s is downtown and I don’t live downtown (I am in the burbs) so it is a trek for me. But i have the day off and my mom lives about 5 minutes from downtown so when she suggested WF’s hot bar for lunch I about died from sheer excitement! Happy Friday Tina!

Coming home from an amazing vacation was really difficult and having to work for the first time in 10 days was a major struggle, but getting to return to my routine and looking towards a bright future and some big and exciting changes ahead, is keeping me smiling, my head up and pushing forward.

i love beth moore! i have a couple of her devotional books and love them. she is awesome. and nope, you’re not the only HLB that hasn’t been to WF’s salad/hot bar… i have yet to try it out! i think i’m mostly hesitant because of the price tag.

LOVE that your mom visited and is doing well. That’s great news, Tina!! Happy weekend! (love muscle milk light – chocolate – the powder though, not premixed! yum!). One thing that made me smile? Reading the first chapter to M’s book…he’s an amazing creative writer, I never knew he had it in him!

Love the links! I have never even been to a whole foods. How sad is that? We don’t have it where I live, so I don’t know what I’m missing out on. Being able to wake up everyday and just being in the moment has made me smile!

Tina!!! I’m honored!!! I just got back from a run and a trip to pick up supplies for moving, and just got to sit down and read some blogs…and found this love! Thank you so much, friend. <3 You're one of the few people I keep in the back of my mind when I run…(I vlogged, I think while you were on vacation, about being grateful for you and some other fabulous people). Love you, momma. <3

I need to check out the Reading Eggs thang…Maddie's turning 3 next week (already? sigh.) and I bet she'd love it.

I'm so glad that your momma's still hangin' tough through everything. I get to see my momma next week in Chicago (and we just agreed to buy the home she started for her grandbabies before my parents divorced)…I've had a lot of moments wishing she lived back here again, but I'm uber thrilled to be visiting her. They're amazing, those moms, aren't they? I know M's going to look at you the very same way you look at your momma, Tina. I know it.

Hi Tina: Well aren’t you just the ginchiest to list our post on diets and whatnot juicy stuff as part of your link love. I am basking in the Reale-nes all the way across state borders. Thank you! And now I am off to check out the other posts you linked to. Air kiss!

I want to be my mom when I grow up too- yours sounds amazing and very helpful with the kids! I have eaten at whole foods a couple of times. About a month ago I got a wrap from there that was absolutely delicious- it was a spinach wrap with some sort of pesto aioli, sliced turkey, avocado, tomato and swiss cheese. The only bad thing was that it cost almost $10! I am so jealous of people who can afford to go grocery shopping at whole foods.